Cardiff and Wales

Introducing Cardiff

The Capital City of Wales

Cardiff is a modern cosmopolitan city, well-known for its lively evening entertainment and vibrant youth culture, which also enjoys a rich history with a wonderful castle set in the heart of the city centre, several museums, a Victorian market, and Edwardian arcades.

In addition to its excellent shopping facilities, pubs and restaurants, Cardiff is also home to the Millennium Stadium which hosts large sporting events and concerts.

There are three universities with over 43,000 students, making Cardiff an ideal environment for studying. As a visitor to the city, you will receive a warm welcome from people famous for their hospitality.

South of the city centre, Cardiff Bay is one of Europe’s most attractive waterfront developments with a number of trendy bars, restaurants and shops. You can visit the National Assembly for Wales, the Norwegian church which the author Roald Dahl attended, and the fabulous Wales Millennium Centre; home of the Welsh National Opera. Another recent development is the International Sports Village which boasts a 50-metre swimming pool, an indoor ice-rink, as well as canoeing and white-water rafting courses. Cardiff Bay, along with other locations in the city, hosted some events for the 2012 Olympics.

Did You Know…?

Cardiff became the capital city of Wales in 1955 and is Europe’s fastest-growing capital city

The population is 340,000….plus 43,000 university students from Britain and around the world

Cardiff has more parks and green space per person than any other UK city

Cardiff is close to the natural beauty of the Brecon Beacons National Park and golden beaches of the Gower Peninsula, while being only 2 hours from central London by train

“Spillers”, the oldest record shop in the world, opened in Cardiff in 1894

The Millennium Stadium, built in 1999, was the first UK stadium to have a retractable roof

In 2009 Cardiff was voted the European City of Sport…and again in 2014!

Cardiff hosted football games at the Millennium Stadium for the 2012 Olympics

In 2011 National Geographic voted Cardiff as the 6th best alternative tourist destination in the world

Cardiff is a cosmopolitan city with more than 100 ethnic communities based in the city for over 100 years

Cardiff was designated as the world’s first Fair Trade Capital

In 2013 Cardiff was voted the best UK city* for young people because of the quality of life and low cost of living

* Legal & General Group Plc. Report

Navigating the City

Cardiff city centre has a lot to discover in a relatively small area and is ideal to explore on foot. The city also has an excellent bus network and has recently introduced a “bike hire scheme” which allows people to pick up a bike from 10 locations around the city centre and Cardiff Bay. Some areas of Cardiff are also served by local rail.

Welcome to Wales

The Land of Poetry and Song

The Welsh claim to “keep a welcome in the hillsides”, and they certainly do! A land known for its legends, heritage, dramatic landscape, love of music, passion for rugby and its vibrant capital; Wales certainly has plenty to offer the foreign visitor.

With attractions such as Caerphilly Castle, the Wye Valley, Tintern Abbey, the Brecon Beacons National Park, and the Gower Peninsula on your doorstep, Cardiff will offer you a base from which you can explore this historic land.

Getting to Cardiff

BY PLANE

Cardiff has an international airport with scheduled and charter flights to and from many European cities and has world-wide connections via Amsterdam and Paris. The airport is only 12 miles (19 km) outside Cardiff city centre, and can be reached by bus or taxi.

The London airports of Heathrow and Gatwick are linked to Cardiff by rail and coach, with departures approx. every hour during the daytime. Bristol airport is also within easy reach, being only an hour’s drive away from Cardiff. Further details are available from the individual airport websites below:

Coach operator National Express provides a vast network of express coach links. Direct services to Cardiff operate from London’s Victoria Coach Station and from both Heathrow and Gatwick airports. Travel time from Heathrow is approximately 3 hours, and 4 hours from Gatwick. From Heathrow coaches leave approximately every hour up until 7pm at night. After this, there is only a limited service during the evening.

Tickets can be bought at the airport or online from National Express Coach Company. Please click here for further details: http://www.nationalexpress.com

It is also possible to travel from central London to Cardiff using another coach company called Megabus. Please click here for further details: http://www.megabus.com

BY TRAIN

Cardiff is approximately two hours from London on the direct InterCity service. Trains to Cardiff leave from London Paddington Station which can be reached via the Heathrow Express or by tube on the Piccadilly Line. Once at Paddington the frequency of journeys by train to Cardiff is every 30 minutes (weekdays).

If you are coming from Gatwick, you can catch a train to London Victoria Station and then transfer by underground or taxi to Paddington Station.

For timetables and ticket information please check http://www.nationalrail.co.uk. If you wish to make an online booking then please go to one of the following websites:

For large groups of students (15+), CELT is able to provide free transfers by coach to and from Cardiff, Bristol and Heathrow airports. For individuals and small groups, airport transfers can be arranged by taxi. This service must be booked at the time of enrolment. Prices on application or contact us.

Students under the age of 18 are required to book an airport taxi transfer with CELT, unless they are travelling with an adult. The taxi drivers we use are DBS checked and meet students inside the airport terminal on arrival and take them to their accommodation in Cardiff.

Visit CELT

We are Registered

Company Registered in England and Wales | Company Registration No. 2469983